Reactor

Robotics

The Nuclear and Applied Robotics Group is an interdisciplinary research group whose mission is to develop and deploy advanced robotics in hazardous environments in order to minimize risk for the human operator.

News

Brianna Barth Chosen as Finalist for the President's Student of the Year Award

August 31, 2017

Brianna Barth was selected as one of 10 Finalists in UT Austin’s 2017-2018 competition for the President’s Student Employee of the Year Award. She was nominated by Dr. Derek Haas based on her work as an Undergraduate Research Assistant in the Nuclear Engineering Teaching Laboratory and her accomplishments in that position are extremely impressive. Brianna will receive an employee bonus of $100, generously funded by Texas Performing Arts.

August 30, 2016

Brandon De Luna Wins 2nd Place for Poster

August 31, 2017

Brandon De Luna wins 2nd Place for the Poster “Design of an In-Core Fission – Spectrum Neutrons Irradiation Facility with Pneumatic Sample Transfer at a Research Reactor during graduate recruiting event from March 1-3. Each year some 25-30 Mechanical Engineering graduate student applicants in all the technical areas are invited for a 3-day event. As part of the recruiting efforts current graduate students present posters on their current research. Brandon is currently Dr. Derek Haas’s PhD student and is supported on a Department of Homeland Security grant.

Dr. Sheldon Landsberger and Dr. William Charlton receive a 4-year $771,000 grant from Los Alamos National Lab for support of several staff distant learners as well as graduate and undergraduate student support in the Nuclear and Radiation Engineering Program (NRE). A strong commitment between the Los Alamos and the NRE distant learning program at the University of Texas continues to flourish. At present a total of 15 LANL staff members are completing their MS and PhD degrees.

August 30, 2016

Kayla Kelly Presents Fall Research Work

August 31, 2017

As a continued commitment to undergraduate research Junior Kayla Kelly presented her fall research work on Economic and Thermodynamic Modeling pf a Moltern Salt Thermal Energy Storage System at a Nuclear Power Plant. PhD Student Neal Mann was her mentor and Dr. Erich Schneider was the faculty advisor. Typically only a dozen Mechanical Engineering students partake in this effort each semester. A full report and poster session is obligatory.

August 30, 2016

Dr. Landsberger Reappointed as Editor

August 31, 2017

Dr. Sheldon Landsberger has been reappointed for 3 years as Editor, Journal of Environmental Radioactivity, Special Issues and Reviews till 2021. This international journal is a monthly peer-reviewed scientific journal on environmental radioactivity and radioecology. It was established in 1984 and is published by Elsevier. Its editor-in-chief is Stephen C. Sheppard (ECOMatters Inc.) and is an affiliated journal of the International Union of Radioecology. The 2016-2017 impact factor was 2.31.

Dr. Sheldon Landsberger gave a three-day workshop from February 20-22 to the Nuclear Engineering Unit at Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Israel. The workshop was very well attended by students and staff members from national laboratories. A wide range of gamma-ray spectrometry topics were discussed. This is the first time such an intensive workshop was given to the Nuclear Engineering Unit.

August 30, 2016

Study Abroad at University of Ferrara 2017

August 25, 2017

For the 6th consecutive time Dr. Landsberger has led a Maymester Study abroad program giving the undergraduate course “Concepts in Nuclear and Radiation Engineering”. In 2017 thirteen students from the Cockrell School of Engineering, including six and one Teaching Assistant from Mechanical Engineering , and three from the College of Natural Science attended the University of Ferrara for one month. Included in the course work and four laboratory sessions were special lectures given by invited professors and two trips to the research reactor in Pavia and the world famous underground physics laboratory in Gran Sasso. In the picture Dr. Landsberger is with the seven ME students.

August 30, 2016

Dr. Sheldon Landsberger Teaches Radiochemistry Course in Canada

August 28, 2017

Dr. Sheldon Landsberger gave a one week course in Radiochemistry for seven staff members in Pt. Lepreau Nuclear Generating Station in New Brunswick Canada (https://www.nbpower.com/en/about-us/divisions/nuclear). Commissioned in 1983, the 660 MW unit, was the first CANDU-6 to begin commercial operation. Course content include basic radiochemistry, gamma-ray spectroscopy and statistics.